1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a program operating apparatus and a program write control apparatus and method, and in particular, to a program operating apparatus and a program write control apparatus and method which suitably controls writing to rewritable storage means storing a control program for operating a finisher provided in an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Storage media such as ROMs have been used as storage means to store control codes for controlling equipment, but in recent years, more and more rewritable storage media such as flash ROMs have come to be used for the same purpose. Further, some types of equipment are provided with a rewritable storage medium such as a flash ROM inside a CPU. To rewrite a control program in such equipment, an external apparatus such as a host computer which is connected to the equipment via a communication medium transfers data to the rewritable storage medium in the equipment to rewrite the control program.
However, the above described conventional technique has the following problems: That is, with the conventional technique, to rewrite the control program in the flash ROM or the like in the equipment, the external apparatus such as the host computer transfers data to the equipment. Thus, after an operator has downloaded the control program in the external apparatus, he cannot start a rewrite operation before he brings the external apparatus to an operation site to connect the external apparatus and the equipment together. As a result, the operator has to disadvantageously spend much time to prepare for the rewrite operation. It is also disadvantageous that the external apparatus exclusively used for the rewrite operation has to be provided.